I Promise To Be On Time Tomorrow
by laitpeau
Summary: Several years after the First War, Hogwarts undergoes an experimental test-run. Professors take on recent graduates as their assistants as an attempt to remedy the growing problem of lackluster...or dying...professors. While some believe this to be a brilliant idea, one Severus Snape is less than enthused.
1. Nora Springer

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter…or Smarties…

**A/N: This is the first time I have written anything fictional since the middle of high school (8 years), so to ease myself back in, we'll start with a short first chapter. They'll get longer as we go on. **

* * *

"But...I don't need an assistant."

Severus Snape was seated at his desk in his office residing in the dungeons of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was staring incredulously at the tall, much older wizard standing across from him. It was the night before the new semester, and the Headmaster had just given him some terribly frightening news.

"Yes, well, this is just a test-run," explained Albus Dumbledore with a barely-there sigh. "After last year's...mishap...with our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, we believe it may do the school well to ensure that any future prospective teachers are trained and ready for whatever lies ahead of them."

"That man was a dullard to begin with. I mean he could barely tell a werewolf from a vampire. He was not fit for teaching that subject, or...anything really," Severus exclaimed, rolling his eyes. Really, Dumbledore messed up big time by not choosing him, Severus, as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Which is exactly why it is imperative that we train our future leaders of the wizarding world first before thrusting them into situations they are not yet ready to handle. Or their families. That poor woman's face as she had to bury her son's leg and arm…" Dumbledore trailed off, staring wistfully at nothing in particular.

"But...I don't _need_ an assistant."

Dumbledore snapped his attention back to Severus and clapped his hands. "Too late! We have already interviewed and set up your new assistant over the summer." His eyes twinkled as he looked at the thin, brooding man sitting in his chair, looking more like a sulking child than the man of twenty-three that he was.

Only three years into teaching, and already Severus felt like he was worn out and ready for retirement. He worked alone. He knew just how he liked to set up his workspace. He knew where everything was in his office, storeroom, and classroom. He did not want someone coming in and _screwing it up_.

"Fine. Seeing as I really have no choice, when will they be here?" he asked the Headmaster, as his inner tantrum raged on within his brain.

"Fifteen minutes ago. I do believe they seem to be running a tad late," Dumbledore tutted.

Because that is exactly what Severus needed- an assistant that doesn't even have the common decency to show up on time.

Just as he was about to criticize Dumbledore for his faulty hiring skills, Severus tilted in his chair to look past the bearded wizard. He heard the sound of footsteps. Running footsteps. Footsteps that gradually grew louder, until, with almost a comical _screech!_, they stopped right outside his door.

Severus glanced back at Dumbledore, who simply remained standing in front of his desk with the hint of a smile upon his face and twinkle in his clear, blue eyes.

The door flew open and the shape of a body, silhouetted by the torch light in the corridor, emerged. The being, who Severus could only assume was his brand new assistant, flung themselves into his study and halted next to Dumbledore, wheezing and gasping for breath. "M-my apologies for my tardiness, Professors," they gasped.

Before Severus stood a young woman, of average height and average weight. Her hair, which was cut to a medium length bob ending at the middle of her neck, was auburn in color, albeit more on the brown side than the red side. Her skin was clear and pale, and her eyes would have been seen as conventionally "pretty" to the general population, if it were not for her heavy lids. Severus felt this matched perfectly with her tardiness, as her eyes gave him the impression of extreme laziness. Her robes, made of a deep purple material, were not brand new, but not tattered either. They appeared slightly too large for her frame, again, accentuating her slouchy, dead-beat "aura". If Severus were like any other hot-blooded male, he may have claimed that they "really did nothing for her figure." He was not like any other hot-blooded male, though, and simply thought it was unprofessional.

The only possible remarkable thing about her, was her eye _color_. In the murky study they appeared to be brown; yet, when the light from the candle upon the desk caught her face, her eyes shone with an amber, almost orange, fire. For a brief moment, he was startled by them.

This still did not make up for her overall laid-back, slacker appearance. Unsurprisingly, Severus was not impressed.

He sat straight in his chair and clasped his hands on top of his desk. He tried, with extreme difficulty, to make his face expressionless; however, his outrage at the fact that this person would dare be late to their first meeting, crept onto his face. His eye began to twitch and his knuckles turned white. Whether the woman saw this or not, she didn't seem to care. She was too busy trying to regain her breath, with her hands on her knees and beads of sweat (_Oh, disgusting_) falling onto the flagstone floor. Severus flicked his black eyes back to Dumbledore, as if he would be able to explain her behavior.

Instead, Dumbledore gave a soft chuckle and said, "May I introduce you to your new assistant? Severus Snape, this is Nora Springer." At the mention of her name, Nora shot straight up and flashed a smile. "She graduated this past year at the top of her class in both Potions and Arithmancy. I do believe you two shall make an extraordinary team and I hope that Miss Springer here will leave with much more knowledge about teaching than when she arrived, and able to take on whatever students may throw at her...figuratively and literally."

Severus stared at Dumbledore. "...Really?" No way _she_ was at the top of her class.

He heard a tiny cough and slowly fixed his cool gaze upon Nora.

"I- I know I may not look like it -," she started.

"_Noo…_"

"But, I swear I am _totally_ ready to take on whatever you have set for me!" she continued on. "Also, I promise...no, I _swear_, I will never be late again. I was just so nervous and I ran into Peeves on the way here and -"

Severus raised his hand to cut her off. "No excuses. I won't stand for them. You are responsible for all of your actions and must receive the consequences without complaint as they are served to you. Do you understand?" Nora nodded furiously. "Be in my classroom tomorrow at 7:30 AM sharp. We will discuss your duties then."

The whole time, Nora had been standing straight as a board, as if she were being lectured by a drill sergeant instead of a professor who was only a mere five years her senior. Her smile that was once so large upon introduction, gradually shrank as Severus spoke, before finally being reduced to a grimace. Once he finished his speech, it took several seconds for her to find the courage to speak to this somewhat foreboding figure. "Understood, Professor. Again, I apologize, and I will definitely prove you wrong of any doubts you may have of me."

Dumbledore, who during this exchange, had busied himself with examining the various preserved organs and odds and ends of creatures in jars along the walls, focused his attention on the two young people in the office.

"I couldn't have asked for a better introductory meeting myself. May I suggest we move this party to a more warm and lively location? I just procured a new Muggle sweet called a "Smartie". Miss Springer can tell us some more of her stories back from her schooldays. The ones she told to me during the interview process were quite thrilling."

Severus cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, Sir, I have to spend the night drawing up my class plans and also an outline for Miss Springer's duties tonight," he said. "As much as I would like to hear her riveting tales of adventure, I must regrettably pass." _Please, leave before I have her thrown off the grounds._

"Ever the workaholic, Severus. You should really try to unwind some, don't you think? Come along, Miss Springer. Tell me again how our former Professor Slughorn slipped on a Horned Slug in your third year. I do quite enjoy hearing it."

Nora gave a small bow to Severus and exited his office with Dumbledore, regaling the Headmaster with tales of her time as a Hogwarts student. Severus on the other hand, practically ran to the door and slammed it shut as soon as they stepped foot into the corridor. With a heavy sigh, he ran his hand through his curtain of black hair and wondered where to even begin. He would have to think of a way to keep her busy and away from him for the majority of class time and after, if possible.

He fell into his chair and, grabbing his quill, began to outline his to-do list for the next week. He hardly slept anyway.

* * *

**A/N: My goal for this is to be a slow simmering romance with plenty of silly antics thrown in. Maybe some drama!?**


	2. An Hour and Ten Minutes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

* * *

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Nora Springer, newly acquired assistant to the ever-moping Severus Snape, was standing in a random corridor of Hogwarts, banging her head on the stone wall. It was ten-o'clock at night, and she had just ended her friendly meeting with Albus Dumbledore.

They had sat in his study, Dumbledore seated behind his desk, with its whirring instruments and bobbles, and Nora sitting across from him in a plush seat, unraveling what appeared to be pure sugar tablets from their crinkling plastic wrappers. She was able to stave off the crippling anxiety and nausea that hit her full-force after her meeting with her new boss long enough to enjoy a pleasant conversation about her childhood with Dumbledore. But as soon as she stepped off the staircase hidden behind the eagle, she nearly retched all over the stone floors, and began her blind descent to the dungeons, grasping to the walls for support.

She wasn't lying when she told Severus that she was cornered by Peeves. With a mere two minutes to go before the meeting, she came face to floating face with the famous poltergeist of the castle. He had taunted her and blew raspberries in her face until she threatened to call for the Bloody Baron. Sulking, he swept past her with such a speed that caused her robes to billow up around her waist.

Now she was in a third floor corridor, literally banging her head against a wall. She wanted so badly to make a great impression on the Potions professor. She had envisioned reminding him all about her extraordinary marks on her O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, and watching his eyes light up as he remembered her attending his classes for two years. Then he would shower her with praises and confess his remorse for never recognizing her skills and potential until that very moment.

She could see now that was not at all the way things were going to go.

Swallowing bile that threatened to leave her mouth for the umpteenth time, she shakily continued her journey to her chambers. Not at all in her favor, they just so happened to be located right next to her extremely-bitter-super-scary boss.

Finally reaching her room, she fell onto her bed face first, wishing sleep would overtake her weary body quickly. But her anxiety had reached an all time high and she found herself thinking that she would rather take on the giant squid in the Great Lake than face Severus in the morning.

Her room was decently sized. The four poster bed was larger than the one she slept in during her time as a student, high up in the Ravenclaw tower. Her trunk and other belongings had been neatly stacked near the chest of drawers on the right hand side of her bed. On the far side of the room was a fireplace, which upon her arrival, had been roaring majestically, warming the dank, windowless room. Where the flames had been, were now burnt logs and ash, and only a few embers remained glowing weakly.

Flopping over onto her back with a sigh, she stared up at the dark green curtain hanging around her bed. She scrunched her eyes shut, wishing sleep to descend upon her and take her away from the misery that had enveloped her whole being. Perhaps in the morning she will actually be on time, and then things will change around for the better. But she knew that no matter how much she tried, she would always be unlucky with time. Her whole life, she was late to everything. Her mother joked that she was even late to her own birth, being scheduled for February eighteenth, but instead coming two weeks later on March fourth. Emelia Springer claimed this was for the best though, as it changed Nora's sign and made her a the sensitive and intuitive person she is today.

It was a good thing that she was also blessed with an ability to retain large amounts of information, saving her ass in every class. During her first year at Hogwarts, she received three detentions on her very first day. The professors had actually gotten into an argument over whose detention should be served first, and in a huff, they decided to cancel all three on the basis that it was overkill for the first day back. During the first half of the year, she received many more detentions, house point reductions, what have you. By the second half of the year, the detentions dwindled, and reductions in house points decreased to the point that they were only taken away once a week instead of five. When she returned for her second year, it appeared that the professors had gotten together over the break and decided it was no longer worth it to punish her. It was simply a lost cause, and truthfully, her high marks made up for her lack of punctuality.

And then there was Professor Snape. During her sixth year, Professor Slughorn had retired, leaving his beloved Potions room in the care of the young man with the greasy black hair. Either he missed the memo about Nora's "affliction", or he ignored it and felt that it was his duty to make her social life near non-existent with detentions. Yet, even though she was punished just about every class with him, Nora admired Professor Snape. He didn't just brew potions; he brewed _art._ Every movement he made was deliberate and carefully honed. He was tough on his students, and while most of her classmates chose to give up halfway through the year because they saw no feasible way of passing, she worked doubly as hard as she ever did in her past Potions classes. Her desire to impress her professor greatly outweighed any vindictive feelings she may have harbored. Despite her efforts and leaving Hogwarts at the top of her class, Professor Snape hardly acknowledged her hard work during those two years. He graded her and went about his usual insults and punishments.

When she saw the advertisement for "Assistants Wanted" in the Daily Prophet, she thought, _This is it. _This was her calling. Another chance to grasp the attention of one of the professors she looked up to so much. Really, all she wanted was validation. But after tonight, she felt it was going to take more effort than just grading papers and making class plans.

With a grunt, Nora flopped off the bed and removed her robes. Perhaps if she changed into her pajamas she would find sleep easier. She removed her navy blue nightgown from her trunk and slid it over head. Turning to get back into bed, she made contact with her own reflection in the mirror above her dresser. Her hair was sticking out in all directions from the static off her nightgown. Nora smashed her hair back down and cocked her head. She didn't consider herself "beautiful" necessarily, but she thought she was decent enough. The nightgown definitely accentuated her curves better than her robes, but she was not a bombshell by any means. It was during these late hours before bed that Nora allowed herself to admire and preen in front of the mirror. In the morning she would be back to caring more about her studies and duties than her appearances. Still, it would be nice to be complimented for her looks occasionally.

Prying herself away from the mirror, she shuffled to the fireplace. With added logs and an _Incendio_ spell, flames once again danced about and crackled. Nora noticed a change in her room immediately, and basked in the warmth of the fire. Feeling that the fire and her nightgown were suitable enough for her to attempt slumber once more, she threw back her green comforter and snuggled down into the bed.

Within ten minutes her eyes snapped open, where they remained until early morning.

* * *

Severus stood at the front of his classroom. He had just finished his opening statement to a group of first years, and he was internally fuming. Sure, he relished the look of pure terror on their tiny faces, but there was the matter of his new assistant.

The shock he received from the news that he would now have to babysit an assistant had blocked Nora Springer's name from registering in his brain. But at around four in the morning, realization struck him like a sack of potatoes.

Merlin, help him.

He remembered her. He remembered how she showed up late to _every one of his classes_. He was fully aware of his reputation as a "strict" professor - though really, you had to be tough on these dunderheads -, but he did not believe that he would ever say that in two years he gave a detention to one particular student almost every day, every week, every month, for two years. Severus was certainly no stranger to detentions, thanks to Potter and his posse, and the other professors reminded him of this and claimed he was being "too hard on the poor girl", urging him to just take away house points instead. Honestly, by the time they gave him their little speech, he was no longer doing it to teach her a lesson. No, she was far too gone for saving. He was just doing it for his own personal amusement at that point. How she kept her grades up, he really could not even begin to fathom.

When she finally graduated, he was both relieved and disappointed at the same time. Relieved because she was finally gone and out of his hair. He would no longer have to invent new ways to punish her, such as essentially making her his guinea pig for several potions - all non-life threatening of course, but enough to let her know he meant business. Yet, after several months, disappointment set in. The whole ordeal was entertaining to say the least, he got several decent study results from her, and she left behind a slew of students who couldn't tell a slug from a leech.

Now she was going to be his assistant, and he fought the urge to pull his hair from his scalp. This was not going to be fun at all. At least when she was his student, she went away to other classes and her own common room. But she was now technically a student professor, and thus she was almost required to be near him at all times in order to gain firsthand experience on how to teach her own group of spawn one day.

Heavens, forbid.

Needless to say, he was not surprised in the slightest when she came bursting through his door over an hour late. She had apparently been running to his classroom because when she hurtled through said door, it swung open with such violence that it bounced off the stone wall with a bang and almost hit her in the face.

xxx

Nora had indeed been running to the Potions classroom. She was fully aware of how late she was. After remaining awake for hours in her bed, her body had decided that it was going to shut down completely at around five, whether she liked it or not. Had she any windows, she would have heard the birds beginning to sing their sunrise songs. She awoke with a start an hour after she was supposed to be going over how her tasks were to be allocated throughout the year.

Ten minutes later, she was now standing in the doorway of one of the dungeon classrooms, gradually becoming more and more aware of just how disheveled she appeared to the group of eleven year old witches and wizards. Her robes - the same as the ones she was wearing the previous night - were thrown on haphazardly and hung askew on her frame. She did not bother showering or freshening herself up. Her hair was dirty and her eyes were crusted from sleep. She did not look professional at all. Quite the opposite actually; she looked very much like a drunken vagrant who took a wrong turn and found themselves in the lower levels of Hogwarts.

The students stared at her.

She stared back.

_My, how awkward._

Whispers began to crop up among the seats, as the students broke out of their initial stunned silences.

"Who is that?"

"I don't know."

"Think that's his girlfriend or something?"

"No way! Gross! Maybe she's a seventh year?"

"Is...she _allowed _to be here...in this school?"

As her face grew redder by the second and giggles starting to surround her, she heard a loud throat clearing at the front of the room. The small faces, that were just sharing theories on who she was with each other, all snapped back up to the thin man behind a table with several glass bottles and a deep cauldron. Nora locked eyes with her superior and instantly paled. Boy, did he look pissed. Sheepishly, she closed the door as quietly as she could, and shuffled her way up to the front to stand next to Severus. As she neared his position, he shook his head slightly and jerked it to his left. She followed his sign and saw a lone stool pushed against the wall, lined with long shelves contained floating body parts and other various powders and liquids.

Lowering her head, she padded to the stool and sat gingerly, clasping her hands on her lap. She looked up at Severus, but saw that he was continuing his lesson from where she had interrupted. Several students occasionally glanced over at her nervously, but soon forgot all about her when they became immersed in their cures for boils. She witnessed several occasions where a student had added the wrong ingredient, or added it at the wrong time, and was about to interject, but Severus had already swooped over and magicked away the potion with a swift motion of his wand. He did not make eye contact with her again through the whole lesson. Nora regulated herself to simply sitting and observing silently until she felt that she had become part of the jars behind her.

* * *

The first years spilled out of the classroom as quickly as they could when the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. They chattered about how difficult potion making was, how scary their professor seemed, and swapped rumors about the young woman who sat in the corner the whole time.

Nora waited until the last student filtered out of the room, before hesitantly making her way over to Severus, who was busy trading out the ingredients used for demonstration for the first years, with the ones needed for his fifth years scheduled to arrive in an hour.

"Uh...um, Professor Snape?"

Severus glanced over at her from his place at the shelves on the right hand side of the room. "Yes, Miss Springer?"

"I- I was just wondering why-"

"Why I hadn't introduced you to the students today?" Nora nodded, though she didn't think he saw it. "You were late. I specifically told you to arrive at seven thirty to go over your duties _before _the first class of the day. Since you failed to do so, I did not think it necessary to give you the pleasure of introducing yourself."

Nora swallowed. True, she was late and this seemed like a reasonable punishment, but the embarrassment of being treated like a five year old told her otherwise.

"Until you can learn to be punctual, you will not speak to any of my students. You will not help them. They will never know your name. This goes for all of my classes, not just the first years today." Severus turned around and regarded Nora with his cold eyes. "Don't think I don't know who you are. I think these children have a better chance of meeting the Dark Lord than learning your name."

Nora was stunned. This went beyond any of the insults she had received from him as a student herself. She clenched her fists so hard they began to shake. "I do believe I will take that as a challenge, Professor Snape," she responded with as much venom as she could muster. She wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw for nothing; she would find a way to make sure every single child in the castle knew her name.

Ignoring Severus' raised eyebrow at her bold response, she stormed over to the door and swung it open. For the second time that day, it crashed against the wall. A minute later, it creaked back open, and Nora's head poked in.

"I uh...guess maybe I should stick around to see what else needs to be done…shouldn't I?" she whispered.

"Well, would you like to be fired, or not?" Snape replied with a sneer.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll just…" Nora slid back into the room and closed the door.

"You can begin by taking inventory of everything on the shelves and in the potions closet," Severus nodded over to a journal hanging by a chain near the potions closet., before turning his back on her.

_Just like old times_, thought Nora with a sigh.


	3. The Grand Plan

The Great Hall was just as Nora Springer remembered it to be. Not that she had been away from Hogwarts long, but once you graduate from a place you spent your entire childhood, any time apart from that place feels like an eternity.

She had just barely made it before the mounds of piled up food disappeared for the night. Grabbing a pewter plate, she wandering up and down the house tables, picking and choosing the desserts that looked the most appetizing to her. Nora did not necessarily want to end her night with a dinner made up of sugar and syrups, but Severus' demands had kept her well after she initially intended to complete them.

Realizing she had run out of room on her plate, she stuffed a chocolate eclair into her mouth and started for the staircases. She would continue to eat in peace, where she wasn't bombarded with confused stares and whispers from the smattering of students still lingering in their seats.

Carefully watching her plate to make sure nothing was going to topple off and onto the flagstone floors, she ran into a solid black figure standing within the entrance to the Great Hall. Lamenting the loss of a pumpkin pasty and a cup of pudding, she looked up and into the face of Severus Snape, who was wiping a smear of said pudding off his dark robes.

"Oopff…" she apologized through the eclair still residing in her mouth. The young woman removed the dessert and licked up the remaining frosting around her lips. "Sorry about that, Professor."

"You realize, you now have access to the kitchens, don't you?" he sneered. "One of the more pleasant perks of working at this school. Though I would hardly call what you do 'working.'"

"Actually, no, I didn't. It's my second night as an assistant, sir," she replied, sass dripping from her tongue. Severus scoffed, and brushed past her.

"Get a good night's rest, Springer. Wouldn't want you late again, now would we?" he said derisively, looking back at her. "Dalton! Untangle yourself from Miss Healy!"

Nora shot a nasty look at Severus' back as he swooped upon a couple of frightened looking teenagers locked in a rather intimate embrace, and continued on her way back down into the dungeons. "'Get a good night's rest, Springer,'" she imitated in a deep voice. "What a git."

She had to admit though, that was fairly decent of him to pass on that handy bit of information about the kitchens. She would have to remember that, seeing as she doubted she would ever finish up her duties before dinner ended.

Nora kicked open the solid door to her chambers, as her hands were full. After swinging her leg back to kick the door closed again, she laid the metal plate down on her desk and began stuffing the remaining pastries into her face.

With her mini feast completed, she looked over her fingers and flexed her arm up and down. Her hands were developing blisters already, and her elbow creaked. Severus had instructed her to clean every shelf and cauldron in the classroom until they were spotless and he could "feel confident enough to eat a three course meal off of them." She complied without whining, feeling that in the end, this would all benefit her in some way. "Without pain, there is no gain," her Muggle father would say. Soon the blisters would turn into callouses and her hands would be back into the shape they were in during her last years. Her hands were so tough, her friends spun tales about how she could dunk them into the most potent potion without feeling its effects at all.

Shaking her head and pushing fond memories aside, Nora instead focused on how she could outsmart the Potions Master. He had a point, as cruel as it was; those kids really did have a better chance of meeting the Dark Lord than learning her name. Showing up on time was really just too impossible for someone like her. She had tried looking up enchantments in the past as a way to remedy her problem, but to no avail. She would cast a quickening spell to hurry through her morning routine, but she would forget that her robes were being cleaned or that the class had already begun ten minutes prior to her waking up. Once, she kidnapped a rooster from Hagrid the Gamekeeper to crow at sunrise, only to find that she had kidnapped the _only _mute rooster in over a hundred kilometers. She would later return the rooster to the half-giant, apologizing profusely while explaining herself, but he was unable to hear her over his roars of laughter. Apparently he had taken the rooster in, feeling sorry for it, and found it rather hilarious that someone would think of kidnapping it in order to wake up on time. She had finally resorted to trying to invent her own spells, but all of them backfired in some way. One such unfortunate miscalculation caused her to show up to Transfiguration with clock hands tick-tocking around her nose. Professor McGonagall applauded her for practicing her transfiguration spells in her spare time, but chastised her for reading too far ahead in the textbook. Nora felt that if she had told her the truth, the speech she received would be about ten times longer.

No, trying to find yet another way to get from her room to the Potions room on time was pointless.

Still rattling her brain trying to find a solution, the former Ravenclaw gathered up her toiletries and exited her room to find the staff baths. Immersed in her thoughts, she found herself lost twice, passing the classroom she spent the day in both times.

Then it hit her. She knew what to do. She would need to be very careful, but boy, was Severus Snape going to have the shock of his life in the morning.

Somewhere in castle, Severus sneezed.

* * *

Severus narrowed his eyes. Something, or _someone_ was sneaking around.

He was patrolling the second floor corridors as a way to clear his mind. Three years was still not enough time to get over the losses he incurred from the war. Occasionally, during the late hours of night while grading or formulating new ways to torment his students, flashes of lifeless green eyes would plague his mind, signalling that it was time for a walk.

Usually his nights were uneventful. Occasionally he would catch a student out of bed, or two students, or one student on their way to become two students. The process was the same each time; sneak up on them, _Lumos_, interrogate until they shook, slap a detention on them, then top it off with rubbing a personalized insult into their wounds. After an hour or so, he would return to his room and lie in bed until sleep took him by force.

But tonight...tonight felt different. This reeked of something other than just a rendezvous between two hormone-riddled teens. This felt...like a _scheme_.

Following his senses, he hurried towards the dungeons.

Drawing closer to his chambers, he felt a presence skulking in the shadows of the dank hallways. Putting into action his usual routine, he began to silently encroach upon the rule breaker.

"I'm just getting back from the baths, Professor."

_Oh._

Severus lit his wand, illuminating the pale face of his young assistant. Well, that was a disappointment. "If you were a student, I would have given you a detention for being out of bed," he stated with a scowl.

"I clearly recall you giving me enough detentions for ten students, sir. Not to mention what you had me do today felt more like punishment than teaching."

"You practically begged for it. Do you realize what time it is?"

"Do you, sir?" Nora was getting tired of their banter. Any other time she would indulge; banter always got her adrenaline pumping and she enjoyed the rush. However, tonight she needed to get to work on her plan, and quickly, or else she would miss out on much needed rest for tomorrow's classes.

Severus' eyes flicked around her face, searching for some sign showing she was up to something, but her face remained as solid as marble. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his hooked nose. "Why must you be a thorn in my side? I would strongly suggest you find your way back to your room now and prepare for tomorrow. Seven thirty, Springer-though I should make it six thirty to make up for the hour you skipped out on this morning."

Nora remained silent and bit her lip. A comeback now would only waste more of her precious time. Severus narrowed his eyes and searched her face one last time before lowering his wand and walking past her and into his room.

Once inside, he waited until he heard the _click_ of her own door before changing into his sleeping robes.

xxx

Nora entered her room immediately after Severus entered his, but instead of settling in for the night, she stood rooted in the middle of the living space until she felt it was safe to gather the necessary supplies needed for her plan.

Moving slowly as to remain as quiet as possible, she first grabbed her pillow, then the robes she was planning on wearing the next day. She rolled these items into her blanket, fashioning a sort of sack, which she tossed over her right shoulder. She made her way back over to the door and opened it far enough to squeeze her body and the blanket-sack through.

Out in the corridor, she stood motionless, holding her breath, waiting for the inevitable capture by her superior. After what felt like ages, she finally exhaled and pulled shut the door. Not risking lighting her wand, she crept through the hall, feeling along for the change from stone to wood. She felt the first door of four. After her bath, she had walked up and down the hall, memorizing the number of rooms between hers and her desired destination. The classroom was on the opposite side from her chambers, four doors away. She continued forward slowly, breathing as softly as possible. In the dark, deserted corridors, every sound was amplified, and the last thing she needed was to be found out.

Finally reaching the fourth door, she moved across the floor to other wall, and pointed her wand at the keyhole. She took into account that this was Severus Snape she was dealing with, and fully expected that he would place some sort of ward protecting his classroom from ne'erdowells. Thus, she placed what she hoped was a considerable amount of distance between herself and this potential shield.

"_Alohomora_," she whispered, and to her surprise, the keyhole clicked, and the door creaked open. Hesitantly, Nora stepped over the threshold and into the empty classroom. Perhaps Severus felt that no one would actually try to break into this room. After all, they hated it just fine during the day, enough to avoid it at all costs the rest of the time. But she would bet fifty galleons that his potions closet was jinxed from here to Beauxbatons. Nora heaved a sigh of relief and shut the door behind her, relocking it.

Part One of her plan was a success. Now for Part Two.

Nora gingerly traveled up the rows of desks towards the larger one placed at the front of the room. She did not want to ruin her hard work by knocking over a spare cauldron and creating a racket. Reaching Severus' desk, she dropped her makeshift sack, pulled out his chair and sat down. She placed her hands on top of the piece of furniture and patted the wood. So, this is what it felt like. She could almost feel the power course through her as she imagined a couple dozen witches and wizards seated at their stations, waiting with bated breath for her next instruction.

Nora twisted her face into an imitation of Severus' famous sneer, and pointed at random spots in the air. "Fifty points from Gryffindor! One thousand bajillion points to Slytherin!" Giggling, she reached down and grabbed her blanket, and unraveled it on the desk revealing her pillow and robes. Not wanting her robes to get dirty by placing them on the ground, but wanting as much space as possible on the desk's surface, she decided to place her stack of clothing in one of the drawers. Nora eeny meeny moe'd before settling on the topmost right drawer. When she opened it, she noticed a single, dried lily flower sitting on a stack of what looked to be old notes.

_Well that's certainly a strange thing to have_. With a shrug, she closed the drawer and picked the next one down, which only contained extra glass test tubes. She placed the stack on top of them and slid it shut. She then wrapped the blanket around herself, wiggled in the chair to find a more comfortable spot, and let her head fall onto her pillow on top of the desk.

Part Two complete. She had successfully infiltrated the Potions classroom, where she would sleep until her professor showed up at seven thirty in the morning.

She couldn't wait to see his face when he found that not only was she on time, but she was _early_. _Suck on that, Professor Sourpuss_, Nora thought sleepily, before slipping into a deep slumber, where she dreamt of bubbling cauldrons, black eyes, and lilies.

* * *

"_What. Are. You. Doing?" _

There was a loud thud of a heavy textbook being slammed on the wooden desk right next to Nora's face.

Snorting, she literally jumped out of her slumber, toppling out of the chair and onto the solid, cold floor. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up and her gaze made contact with one very furious Severus Snape.

Nora eased herself up off the ground, yawned, and stretched. Lowering her arms, she shot Severus a self-satisfied grin. "Well, I was thinking that you were right. That I would never make it to class on time. So instead I," Nora gestured to her makeshift sleeping arrangements, "brought myself to the classroom ahead of time as a preventative measure."

Severus was speechless. Nora suspected it was because he was so impressed with her clever antics, but really he was amazed she had the gall to even _think _of doing such a thing.

He placed both of his hands on the top of the desk and leaned forward, never breaking eye contact with the young woman opposite him. "Were you a student," he began, menace dripping with every word, "I would do everything within my power to have you expelled from this school. You were sneaking around after hours. You broke into _my_ classroom. Merlin knows what you have been rummaging through and rearranged in the room, and...you drooled all over my desk," he finished with a look of disgust.

Nora glanced down and saw that she had, in fact, drooled all over his desk. She casually reached over and wiped up the small puddle with her sleeve.

"However," Severus continued, pulling back, "you are not a student. You are, technically, staff of the castle, and as such, I cannot punish you as severely." He looked thoroughly disappointed at the fact.

"So...what does that mean, then?" Nora questioned nervously. In retrospect, if someone had broken into her classroom and drooled all over her stuff, she would probably have been a bit peeved as well. Because of this, she held back from arguing and remained humble.

Severus paced back in forth in front of the desk, mulling over how to deal with this situation. He had to admit, it was indeed clever. He had underestimated the girl, and now she was standing before him, not only on time, but was in the room before he was even awake. He would have loved to have her driven out of the castle and out of his way, but she outsmarted him. The revelation of this made him angry, but bubbling beneath that was amusement, and he was perhaps even a tiny bit...proud. He shook his head; what a gross emotion.

Finally stopping, he turned and looked Nora up and down, making her cheeks pink.

"You look awful."

Nora huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Well gee, Professor, thanks. I did just wake up after all."

"Go clean yourself up. You need to look at least somewhat presentable for the classes today. Not at all the way you showed up yesterday."

Nora was stunned and gaped at Severus. Was he actually letting her off the hook? Had she finally gotten through to her old professor that she was worth more than he thought? She could have hugged him if he didn't look at her as if she was something he had to scrape off the underside of the work tables.

She nodded and bent down to retrieve her robes she prepared to wear for the day. The contents of the drawer clattered and clinked as she slid it open, and again as she slid it closed after lifting her robes out. Her eyes briefly flickered towards Severus and away, but quickly flicked back when she saw his expression.

His face, already pale as it was, had completely drained of what remaining color he had. His jaw was clenched and his hands were balled into fists and shaking, white-knuckled. His eyes looked wild with fury, but she saw deep down something else. Something that looked almost like fear.

She had seen her superior express a wide spectrum of emotions plenty of times. She had seen him at his most infuriated, but nothing had scared her quite as much as the way he looked now. It resonated within her in a way she knew she would never be able to relate, yet at the same time she had no idea what about her actions made him react as such.

Finally he spoke, his voice strained. "What were you doing just now?" he asked softly.

"I- I was grabbing my robes, sir. I d- didn't want them getting dirty, so I thought, maybe, putting them in the desk was a good idea." Nora kept her eyes trained on him, preparing for him to suddenly lash out at her.

"I see. And did you find anything..._interesting?_"

Nora's thoughts drifted to the lily she had found in the top right drawer. Was this what was causing him to have what appeared to be a breakdown of sorts? If it was, perhaps it was best if she played dumb.

"No, sir. It was dark. Hard to see anything, really."

"I see. Well then, Springer, I suggest you get ready now. I still need to review your task list with you before the first years arrive."

Nora nodded, and finally breaking their gaze, she hurriedly gathered her robes and trotted out of the classroom towards the baths, her eyes fixed on the ground now.

Turning out and into the corridor, she heard what sounded like a chair being kicked in the room behind her.

* * *

The young assistant lathered shampoo into her hair, lost in thought. She was curious to know what all that flower business was about. Dunking her head into the warm water of the large bath, she had settled on the theory that the lily was, in fact, the whole reason behind her professor's strange mood swing.

Sighing she relaxed back against the wall of the swimming pool sized tub, lowering her face into the water enough to blow tiny bubbles. Should she apologize? No, then it would give her away. She didn't want him to know that she saw it, and while lying to her boss felt unethical and left her with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she figured it best to pretend like nothing happened. Whatever Severus was going through, Nora imagined it was painful.

Her inner turmoil was interrupted by a sudden flash and fizzle of red sparks on the opposite side of the tub. From the sparks came Severus' voice, deep and loud, reverberating throughout the near empty chamber.

"NORA SPRINGER, YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO GET BACK TO MY CLASSROOM."

"Oh dear," tutted a voice from over by the sinks. Nora swung her head towards the voice and saw Minerva McGonagall brushing her long hair in front of the mirror. Nora had only ever seen her former Transfiguration professor's locks up in a tight bun, so the sight came as quite a shock.

"Having a hard time adjusting, dear?" the older woman asked, turning to look at Nora over her square glasses.

Nora fidgeted in the water slightly - having her former professor seeing her in the buff made the young woman slightly uncomfortable. McGonagall herself was standing with a fluffy towel wrapped around her body.

"I guess you could say that…" Nora replied.

"Well, I have high hopes for you. You may have had a problem with punctuality, but you were one of the brightest students I ever taught. Your determination and wit will help you get through whatever Severus throws at you. Hopefully not literally," she ended with a smile.

Nora smiled back. Professor McGonagall was always stern, but away from her duties as a professor and Head of Gryffindor, she was rather pleasant.

"Thank you, Professor. He may be scary at times, but he is only another human, just like you and I."

"I agree. However, I do believe you should hurry, before he sends something a bit more..._threatening_...in here." McGonagall turned back to the mirror and waved her wand above her head - in an instant, her long hair began twisting back into its famous bun.

Nora heaved herself out of the water, dried herself off, and changed into her midnight blue robes. She waltzed over to the door, casting a quick drying spell on her bob, and made her way back to the Potions classroom.

Severus was waiting for her, seated at his desk, where she had been sleeping just a half hour prior. Stacked in front of him was a pile of papers, which Nora only assumed was the outlines of her assistant duties.

She grabbed a chair from one of the work tables and dragged it over to Severus, dropping into it when she finally reached him.

"Took you long enough," he remarked. He had apparently recovered from earlier; his skin was still pale, but no longer a sickly grey, and his eyes were back to their cold, black pools. "I want you to look these papers over. They outline instructions for how to prepare the classroom for the students, relative to their years. Safety protocols, rules for classroom behavior, what to do in an emergency, etc. I _clearly _do not expect you to memorize all of this by the end of today, but by next Monday you should be able to handle these tasks without having to refer back to these papers. Understood?" He slid the stack across the desk over to her.

Nora lifted the stack and flipped through the pages. Leave it to Severus to be as thorough as possible. The first half covered what Severus had just told her; the second half covered what she should do during and after the classes in regards to answering questions students may have, instructing them on how to brew their potions, and proper cleanup procedures. After reviewing everything, Nora recognized these outlines as the same ones Severus had applied to her own classes with him for her last two years at Hogwarts. This made it seem less daunting to the young woman, and she felt that despite what Severus claimed, she could probably have these tasks memorized and ready in only a day.

"I understand, sir. Shall we begin to prepare for the first years? We have ten minutes until they arrive." As she said this, Nora heard the first couple of students lining up outside of the classroom, waiting for the okay to enter.

Both adults stood, and Severus barked orders at her, telling her to grab a bottle of this, or a jar of that. With all of the required materials gathered for the professor's demonstration, Nora made her way over to the door, where she swung it open and ushered in the eleven year old witches and wizards. After some hesitation, and quite a few quizzical looks, the students began to file one by one into the classroom, taking their seats at their assigned tables, chattering amongst themselves; Hufflepuff on one side, Ravenclaw on the other.

The young assistant closed the door, and was suddenly struck by a wave of nausea. She was finally going to introduce herself and begin the steps towards learning how to teach. The excited feeling she had felt while prepping with Severus, was now replaced with nerves. Swallowing, she slowly made her way back to the front of the room to stand next to Severus.

He gave her a sideways glance, then turned his attention to his students.

"We will begin this class with an announcement."

* * *

**A/N: So, Nora finally gets to prove herself! This story is coming easier to me than I had thought. Unfortunately, my new semester begins tomorrow, so I may be delayed with chapter updates. Never fear though, they will come out! I feel very attached to this fic now ~ Thank you for the kind reviews and follows!**


	4. Unfortunate Feelings

"_We will begin this class with an announcement."_

Twenty-four students seated around tables in groups of four.

Forty-eight eyes blinking up at Nora Springer, waiting on her to introduce herself.

Three students shifting in their seats; two throats clearing; six pairs of eyes glancing at each other; two stifled snickers behind two hands.

Nora's throat was dry and when she opened her mouth to begin, only a strangled noise came out. She cleared her throat and tried again. Why was she so nervous anyway? These kids were eight years younger than her, in no way should she feel intimidated by them. But she was beginning to realize that even though she had proficient skills in potion-making, her public speaking skills were quite lacking.

"Hello, class. My name is Nora Springer. By now I'm sure you were wondering who the strange girl in the corner was." She paused and gave a nervous laugh. The young students only continued to blink at her. "Yes, well. I will be acting as your professor's assistant this year. I am here to help with any questions you may have, provide tutoring if necessary, and I can also act as a great therapist after class." Here, the class chuckled slightly, but quickly stifled themselves when Severus cast a glowering look over the room.

"I hope that we can all get along well this year, and good luck with your first year at Hogwarts." Nora bowed slightly and looked at Severus, signaling that the floor was once again his.

He cast her a look that said, "We will definitely be talking about this after class," and he resumed his position at the head of the class. "Do not get too comfortable with Miss Springer. She is not your professor. I am. Do not forget that I am the one that hands out the detentions, the one who takes away the points, and the one who will ultimately decide whether you pass or fail. She is simply here to learn how to deal with incompetent students such as yourselves," Severus drawled. Any warm, fuzzy feelings the children may have had, were squelched immediately, and it was written all over their tiny faces.

The lesson for the day was a simple sleeping draught. While the students worked diligently, Severus glided between the tables, harshly pointing out what they were doing wrong, sometimes hovering silently behind one particular student, before moving on to terrorize another, leaving the previous a quivering mess of nerves.

Nora's self-appointed task for the lesson was to follow behind her professor and provide gentle instructions and words of encouragement.

"No no, Miss Rogers. Your lavender paste is not creamy enough, but it's okay you're almost there. Mister Winchester, you're going to have to get over your fear of fire in order to make it through this class. Perhaps a nice pair of fire resistant gloves would make you feel more comfortable?" The plump blonde boy sniffled, and nodded enthusiastically.

As Nora sped off to fetch her own personal gloves (she figured an eleven year old boy's hands would still be small enough to fit them), she crossed paths with Severus on his way back to his desk.

"Don't get too close to them, Springer," he said. "They are here to learn, not to have their hands held."

"Some of these kids didn't even know magic _existed_ until they received their letter. I think some hands deserved to be held, at the very least, during the first week."

She turned away so angrily, her hair whipped around and into her eye. Eye streaming, she grabbed her gloves from her bag, and made her way back to the boy-who-was-afraid-of-fire, avoiding Severus' scowl.

By the end of the lesson, only three students failed to properly brew the sleeping draught. As the chattering class left the room, some still drowsy even after the counter-potion, Nora waltzed up to Severus' desk with a smug expression planted on her pale face.

"Seems to me," she purred, "that the class excelled today. But you're right, I shan't get too close to them, else every student may just stand a chance and pass the class. How troublesome."

The Potion's master glared at his assistant. "Don't...get...cheeky," he replied through gritted teeth. "Perhaps you forgot that I was _kind enough_ to allow you to do _anything _today, despite the fact that you broke into _my _classroom, slept on _my _desk, and went through _my _drawers."

Nora felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach, as she remembered lying to his face that morning. The image of the lily resurfaced in her mind and she was absolutely sure by now that it had extreme importance to the man sitting in front of her. "I-I didn't go _through _your drawers, sir," she squeaked. _That's it Nora. Just pile more lies on top of more lies. Solid plan._

Severus stood abruptly, and Nora took a step back. Was he going to curse her? She was his subordinate after all, and whatever guilt she had felt before, multiplied by ten. Nora finally became all too aware of just how unprofessional she had been acting towards Severus. Sneaking around, talking back to him, her _sass_. If she were in his position, she would fire her. Although they were close in age, he was still in charge, and she had been acting like a stubborn child who climbed up chairs to reach the cookie jar before dinner.

But he did not curse her. In fact, he barely moved a muscle, save for the vessel throbbing in his temple. Nora held her breath. She was going to be sacked, she knew it.

The bell rang throughout the castle, signalling that it was lunch time in the Great Hall, and finally, with a swoop of his black robes, Severus moved out from behind his desk and walked towards the door. Nora remained rooted in her spot, unsure of whether she was allowed to follow, or if he was going to order her to make the classroom spotless like before.

"Are you coming or not, Springer?" The young Head of House was waiting by the door, clearly impatient. Stunned, Nora slowly followed him out the door and into the corridor. The two made their way up the dungeon staircase in silence. In her head, Nora was struggling. He didn't punish her. She was unhappy with this; she felt she deserved it. She snuck a look at the man beside her, but his face was clear of any emotions. She wanted to grab the front of his black robes and shake him.

They arrived at the Great Hall and wound their way up to the Head Table, which had been elongated to accommodate the additional staff. Albus Dumbledore sat in the middle, with Professor McGonagall on his right, and Professor Flitwick, the tiny Charms professor, on his left. Seated on McGonagall's right, was a tall young man with sandy hair. He made eye contact with Nora, as she and Severus took their spots next to the Astronomy professor, and he quickly looked down at his plate, his bangs falling into his face, obscuring it from Nora. Looking down the rest of table, she observed the other assistants brought on for the year. Nora recognized the girl next to Flitwick; she was in Hufflepuff and they had shared both Herbology and Arithmancy together. She had a kind face, with warm brown eyes and equally chocolatey brown hair, which came down to her mid-back. The girl and Nora were not necessarily friends, but Nora had enjoyed the few conversations they shared during their times in the greenhouses.

A couple seats down sat a burly man with deep brown hair and striking blue eyes. His robes were taut against his arms and chest, and Nora's face flushed. She could only assume the former Gryffindor was the Care of Magical Creatures assistant, and Nora fondly remembered daydreaming while she sat in class, about him hoisting her body over his shoulder, and away into the sunset. Or his quarters. Depended on her mood.

Turning her head to the other side, her eyes met those of another young man, who was seated next to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He stared deeply at her with stormy grey eyes, and Nora immediately felt uncomfortable, as if he was delving into her mind and accessing every corner of her brain. Forcing herself to not look away, she committed his face to memory- black hair, straight nose, pale skin that looked untouched by any adolescent skin woes. This was the face to avoid in the hallways and staff room. Nora finally broke away from his gaze and glanced up at Severus, instantly feeling strangely calmer. Even with his temper problems and cold black eyes, his face felt the most familiar to the young woman. Severus, himself, kept shooting dirty looks at the new Dark Arts professor next to him, who was shoving ham into his broad face.

Stifling a giggle at the sight of Severus being clearly jealous, she began considering what kinds of food to place onto her plate, but found that her appetite was not there. The guilt of lying and playing around with Severus still lay heavily in the pit of her stomach. She resorted to sitting back in her chair and watching the witches and wizards of the school interact over their own meals below. By focusing on one area at a time, she could focus on the babble taking place in that spot, and over the next half hour, she had heard three early-in-the-term love confessions, plenty of gossip amongst the female students, two Slytherins in a heated argument over whether Voldemort was dead or not, and a group of Gryffindors planning their test of courage games that night. She would have to remember to let Severus know about said plans. Or maybe not. Maybe she could take care of it herself. Afterall, she was staff of the castle now.

"Why are you not eating, dear?" Nora jumped.

McGonagall was on her way out of the Great Hall, but paused behind Nora with a stern look on her face. Her assistant was behind her, shooting Nora shy glances, his cheeks becoming more pink each time.

"I guess I'm not so hungry at the moment, Professor," said Nora.

"A balanced diet is necessary for a budding teacher, Miss Springer. Or else you will find yourself too faint to lecture properly, let alone grade all the papers after class before bed."

Nora gulped. Was that really what it was like? She forced a smile, and nodded. She reached for the turkey leg on the platter in front of her, and McGonagall, satisfied, continued walking, young man in tow. As soon as they were some distance away, Nora dropped the leg back onto the platter and sat back with a sigh. Severus, who had remained quiet the whole time, looked at her, his face blank, but his eyes searching.

"I think I will head back to the classroom now, sir," announced Nora after several minutes. "I think some of those tables could use a scrub down before the next lesson. Flubberworm mucus tends to get everywhere…as...you obviously know…"

Severus searched her face once more, before slowly nodding. "Yes, this is true. I shall meet you in fifteen minutes." He then scooted in his chair towards the new Dark Arts professor and struck up a conversation. Well, not so much a conversation as much as Severus provoking him with questions about his teaching methods.

* * *

Nora stepped into the chilly classroom and took to cleaning up the messes that the first years left. She had just _scourgified _the last puddle of slimy mucus off a table, when Severus strode in, his robes billowing behind him.

"Oh. You actually did clean up the mess those little ingrates left," he remarked taking in the freshly cleaned work stations.

"Yes, well, those _children _are still new to the art. Have a nice chat with our new professor?"

Severus grunted and didn't answer. He made his way over to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out the next set of lesson plans for the fifth years due in several minutes. Nora watched him, and noticed that he was carrying a bundle of napkins in his hand.

"What's that?" she asked, motioning towards the bundle.

Not meeting her eye, Severus simply placed it upon his desk and opened it. Laying within the cloth, were a couple rolls, the turkey leg Nora had abandoned, and a pastry.

"Professor McGonagall is a witch that has been at this school for many years, and I hold the highest respect for her. To not heed her advice would be a large mistake on your part." Severus busied himself with his lesson plans, still not looking at the now shocked Nora.

He had brought her food from the Great Hall. Nora tried to hide her red face as she walked up and took the food from his desk, placing it instead on one of the student tables. Struggling to not to falsely get her hopes up that Severus was warming up to her, she settled on the explanation that he was only doing this to avoid having his assistant faint on him in the middle of class. Regardless, her appetite had returned as soon as she had entered the classroom, and was thankful nonetheless.

"Thank you, sir," she said meekly, digging into the turkey.

"I only did it because I don't need you falling over into a cauldron and causing a scene," Severus snapped.

_Ah, yep._

Nora had just finished her last roll, when the fifth years began strolling into the room, taking their seats and eyeing her, with her greasy hands and face covered in crumbs. It was then, that she realized the students most likely never even noticed her from her silent spot in the corner of the room the day before, and now her first impression was that of a starved lunatic.

Clearing her mess, she moved to take her place in the front of the room, tossing the dirtied napkin and turkey leg bone into the wastebin near Severus' desk.

The day continued on without incident. As with the first years, Nora introduced herself, Severus resumed control, and then she floated between the students, offering a tip or two here and there. Occasionally she would catch up with a couple of the students who remembered her from her time as a Ravenclaw in the castle.

Before she knew it, her and Severus were once again making their way up the staircase and back into the Great Hall for dinner. Nora had begun to feel more comfortable in her role as the Potion Master's assistant, and all doubts about being sacked for her childish behavior had disappeared from her mind. This time, however, she found herself seated directly next to the new Dark Arts professor.

"Ah, you must be Miss Springer," he said kindly, offering his hand for Nora to shake. "My name is Henry Ayers. I have heard much about you from Professor Snape here!"

Nora raised her eyebrows and gave a sidelong glance at the dark man beside her, who had found himself very interested in his soup, his curtain of black hair shielding his face from her scrutinizing eyes. "Did he now? And what did he say, if I may ask?"

"Well just that you are a very proficient potions-maker, of course. Which, you will have to forgive me, was highly in defense to my remark about how the younger generations these days seem much too absorbed in their own lives to care about anything other than themselves." He gave a jovial laugh, but it quickly ended when he noticed the dark look Nora was giving him. "Ah, but if I must say so myself, Severus failed to mention what a beautiful assistant he had." He made to grab her hand to raise to his lips, but she quickly withdrew her hand and filled it with utensils.

"Well, I can assure you that I do indeed, care about many things other than myself," she replied hotly, brushing aside his compliment.

"Of course, of course, my dear, please forgive me. I have just had many bad experiences with past assistants-" the Dark Arts professor continued on, attempting to further defend himself. Nora tuned him out and began to fill her plate haphazardly with meats and mashed potatoes.

"-I believe you and young Berkley here shared a class, did you not?"

Nora turned her attention back to the wide man next to her. "Pardon?"

Professor Ayers leaned back in his seat, revealing the young man she made eye contact with at lunch earlier in the day. Berkley, as he was called, looked up from his own plate and over at Nora, once again filling her with a sense that he was probing her mind with his cold, grey eyes.

"N-no, I don't believe we had a class together, sir," she answered, quickly looking down at her half-eaten food.

"Well, probably not, he was in Slytherin and a year ahead of you. Berkley! Introduce yourself, lad! One of the many things you will need to do when you come back to teach at this magnificent school."

Berkley's voice was just as icy as his eyes, as he said, "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Springer. I am Berkley Caulfield. I hope that we will work well alongside each other this year."

"Y-yes, nice to meet you as well," Nora replied softly, trying to look anywhere other than his face. Berkley nodded curtly and went back to his food.

For the second time that day, Nora's appetite shrank to nothing, but this time, she refused to run away again.

The Great Hall was filled with laughter and talk, and the professors talked classes and students that were already causing problems for them, but Nora did not partake in these conversations, instead picking at her meal with her fork. After about twenty minutes of this, Severus finally spoke to her.

"Are you ill?" he asked in hushed tones. Nora looked up into his face. Yes, his black eyes were definitely cold, but they were nothing compared to the ones two seats down. She blinked quickly, feeling her eyes prickling from tears that were threatening to build and escape.

"No, everything's fine. Just very exhausted from _actually_ working with the classes today, sir." She hoped she sounded convincing, and gave a small laugh, but Severus was not a dumb man.

"If you are ill, you need to tell me immediately. We only have more work to do tomorrow, and I cannot have you slacking off. Tell me your symptoms and I will brew something for you before bed."

"I'm fine, Professor!" Nora squawked, louder than she had intended. Chairs creaked as the other professors leaned over to see what the commotion was about. Several students sitting near the Head Table, looked up, a mixture of confusion and interest on their faces. Was a fight about to break out? Had that happened before? They began to whisper amongst themselves, shooting furtive glances back at Nora. Severus himself was staring at her with wide eyes, and she couldn't determine whether it was anger within them, or something else.

Feeling her chest growing tighter, Nora hastily stood up, almost knocking her fork and knife to the ground in the process. "I-I just need some fresh air is all. Excuse me."

Nora practically ran out of the Great Hall and booked it out the front doors and across the grounds towards the Great Lake. The breeze was cool against her flushed and sweaty face, and Nora could smell autumn quickly approaching. She trudged across the moonlit grass, stopping when she hit the sandy bank of the lake, the water gently rippling with each breeze.

Plopping onto the ground, she pulled her knees tight against her chest and buried her face into them, fighting back sobs. She was so disappointed in herself. She had thought this assistant position was going to be like an extension of her schooling- except less rules, a salary, and more bossing other kids around. But this was actual work, and she did not feel cut out for it. She was happy with her little tutoring side job as a student, holed up in the library with a couple classmates, helping them prepare for their exams. Now she ran the risk of being thrown out on her butt if she kept showing up late. No detentions- this was adulthood. Not to mention, she was a constant thorn in Severus' side, despite his respectful words about her to Professor Ayers. To top it all off, she thought it couldn't get worse, until some creepy guy kept giving her creepy looks, seriously _creeping her out_.

Wiping her eyes, Nora decided the best thing to do was to pack her bags, give her sincerest apologies to Professor Dumbledore, and leave Severus to take control of his classes the way he does best and remove herself as the bane of his existence forever.

She was about to get up to put this plan in action, when she heard footsteps approaching. Nora quickly pulled her wand from her robes and aimed it in the direction of the sound.

"Put that thing away, Springer," drawled a deep voice.

"Professor? Why are you not inside?"

Severus came at a stop next to her, and gazed down his hooked nose at the young woman still crouched on the grass.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked bluntly.

Nora sputtered. For reasons unknown to her, she began to blurt out everything on her mind, unable to stop until all troubling thoughts were purged from her head.

Severus was silent for some time before speaking.

"First of all, you really need to work on your lateness. No one in the professional wizarding world will take in a witch to refuses to show up on time for her duties. Unless you want Filch's job, in which case I might as well get rid of you now just for being a plain idiot. Secondly, as much as it pains me to say it, I meant what I said to Professor Ayers. You are indeed proficient in potions, and you have potential, if you just quit screwing around. Your marks in school alone was proof of this."

Nora's mouth had dropped open and she was staring at Severus as if he grew two arms out of his head.

"Professor...are you...complimenting me?"

"No. Don't...don't you dare start getting those thoughts."

"But-"

"Stop it." Severus glared at the water, which was being disturbed by a long tentacle breaching the surface.

"I could hug you right now," Nora breathed, still surprised by the conversation that had just taken place.

"Please, for the love of Merlin, _don't_," Severus responded darkly, stepping away from her for added measure. "I see nothing wrong with Caulfield, however. I find him to be just as incompetent as his dolt of a superior."

"Have you even spoken to him, sir? Or are you just going along with your bias against the new professor?"

If Severus had an answer, he didn't give it, choosing instead to cross his arms, wrapping his robes around him at the same time. The act gave Nora the impression of a large bat, folding his wings.

"I believe you are looking into this whole Caulfield thing too deeply. But I suppose, if it eases your mind, it would be best to avoid him. Which won't be hard, seeing as how I'll be making you clean the classroom and restock my ingredients too often to even allow you a chance to run into him." With this, Severus turned on his heel and began the trek back up into the castle.

Nora followed suit, disappointed both by the lack of help from her superior, and by him ruining what she considered a tender moment between the two of them. She trailed behind him back into the castle and down into the dungeons, pausing briefly to tell off a student for loitering near the main staircase ("Get to your dormitory! Ten points from Gryffindor!").

They reached their respective quarters, located next to each other. Nora fumbled with her key, but paused, noticing that Severus had not yet entered his room. Instead he stood in front of his door, looking as if he was losing a battle with himself.

"Sir…?" Nora asked, tilting her head to get a better look at his face.

Severus tensed, and slowly turned his head to stare at a point above Nora's head. "I," he began, but he stumbled with finding words, before settling on, "nothing, Springer. Go to bed. Do not be late tomorrow."

He pushed his door open, and disappeared behind it with a slam so quickly, Nora could have sworn he found a loophole in the anti-apparating charm around the school.

Shaking her head, she entered her own room, changed into her sleeping robes and crawled into bed. Severus' words had eased a good deal of her anxiety, but she still dreamt of being cornered by an unseen force and probing grey eyes.

* * *

**A/N: This semester is already kicking my butt, but I am trying.**


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